1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a direct insertion type connector with a protective cover, which connector is fitted into an electrical circuit fabricated on a FPC in an electric apparatus such as a meter case for an automotive vehicle.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional direct insertion type connector a. A housing 21 made of a synthetic resin is provided with an opening 22 on one side wall thereof through which resilient contacts 24 of terminals 23 are closed. A locking arm 25 (FIG. 4B) includes a projection 25a. FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the connector a in FIG. 5 when the connector a is fully fitted into a recess 27 of a meter case b. An FPC 28 is provided on the inner wall of the recess 27. When the connector a is fully inserted into the recess 27, the resilient contacts 24 become in contact with contacts 20 of the FPC 28 to make electrical contact. At this time, the locking arm 25 of the connector a engages a hook 30 on the inner wall of the recess 27, so that the connector a is locked in place. The connector a is inserted into a protective cover c as shown in FIG. 7 until the connector a is inserted into a mating case b as shown in FIG. 8, so that the electrical contacts 24 are protected from soiling and accidental contact with other electrically conductive elements. The protective cover c is disposable and therefore put aside after mounting the connector a into the meter case b. If the connector a is drawn at a later time from the meter case for inspection, the terminals 23 are exposed as shown in FIG. 5. This is dangerous because the contacts 24 may inadvertently contact the vehicle body or the metallic panel to cause short-circuit or mechanical damages to the terminals. Of course, the workman should follow the safety instructions, for example, disconnecting the battery from the electrical circuit when carrying out maintenance operations. If, however, the workman fails to follow such instructions, the connector a with the aforementioned construction is in potential danger.
FIG. 9 shows another conventional direct insertion type connector a' disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Preliminary Publication No. 53-163585. In FIG. 9, a housing 21' is provided with an opening 22' on each of the opposed sides of a front half thereof. Resilient contacts 24' of terminals 23' are exposed through the openings 21'. The opening 22' is provided with a cover 31. The cover 31 includes a locking latch 32 that serves to lock the connector a' to the meter case when inserted into the meter case. This construction necessitates a mating engagement on the meter case with which the locking latch 32 is engaged. Further, providing the mating engagement on the meter case places limitations on the FPC layout and therefore results in a larger meter case.